Ghost in the Shell is one of the more renowned and acclaimed anime/manga franchises out there. It is a world steeped in the future and the cyberpunk genre, so making video games based off the property sort of makes sense. Nexon America has just announced a new sci-fi first-person shooter based on the franchise dubbed Ghost in the Shell: First Assault.
There are many iterations of the Ghost in the Shell franchise. More recently is the reboot that is the Ghost in the Shell: Arise OVA series. From the looks of the new material released by Nexon, First Assault is opting for a look that’s closer to the renowned series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. In addition, it features the voice of Major Motoko Kusanagi from the English version of the series and Solid State Society, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn. The trailer even dubs the game Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Online – First Assault, but that’s a pretty long title.
This is going to be a free-to-play, tactical and co-op shooter. Players will work in teams to create plans and strategies to take down cyber terrorists. The game will feature a new story based off the anime, which originally began as a manga series created by Masamune Shirow.
The game will feature upgrades and unlocks as players advance and master their character. Each character in the game will have exclusive attributes reflecting the features of the original franchise. I hope that means the game will let players take the role of the different characters of Public Security Section 9, including minor ones such Pazu and Boma. In addition, all the characters can be customized with specialized body augmentations, weapon attachments and enhanced abilities. Another confirmed feature for the game is the “SkillSync.” This allows players to leverage shared cyber-abilities nearby teammates in combat modes to augment and increase their skills.
While I have nothing against Imagine Dragons, I hope the actual game will consider using the soundtrack created for the anime series by the amazing Yoko Kanno. Players interested in playing the beta for the game can sign up here. The game is scheduled for a 2016 launch. You can check out the official reveal trailer for the game below.
